CELIA’S WORLD Formative assessment is discretionary

It’s 2034. State and district leaders launch a K-12 diploma model focused on environmental and economic resilience. The model uses artificial intelligence (AI) to help design and flexibly organize learning programs that cultivate a set of competencies to support the country’s ability to be responsive and adaptable in the face of immense global change. Teachers use their discretion to employ formative assessment to help students progress and master their competencies in support of national resilience goals.

Despite political polarization, many people celebrate recent government action toward making public institutions and systems, including public education, more resilient. As part of this new strategy, the federal government issued a one-time, large-scale infusion of money into public education. A cornerstone of the national education strategy was the launching of the 22nd century competency-based diploma model. Rather than presenting a rigid set of national standards, this model utilizes a loose curricular framework aligned to improving a learner’s knowledge about the impact of economic and environmental resilience and the associated skills that can be learned throughout the K-12 years.

Twenty-second century diplomas allow learning communities to engage in specific learning programs focused on STEAM fields, economy and industry, global studies and sustainability. These programs use customized, competency-based learning to target the skills, competencies and domain knowledge critical for the new era. By 2050, all districts and schools need to adopt this model. While the move toward a 22nd century diploma has been widely celebrated, not all districts have the interest or capability to offer all diploma themes.